Links and Resources   

Please see our Emergency Contacts & Tenant Resources page for contacting Southport Land^®   in an emergency and for tenant maintenance requests. 

Many of Southport Land’s properties are managed by Land Law Realty.

Black Diamond Historical Society, Black Diamond, Washington.  Southport Land and Commercial Company^®   is a proud member of this organization and has donated several objects to the Society’s museum.  Up until 1904, Black Diamond was one of Southport Land’s “company towns.”  For interesting reading, see the Bulletins published by the Society since 1976.  Also visit the Black Diamond Historical Society's Facebook page where interesting facts and old photos are posted. 

Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation, Santa Rosa, California. The Foundation administers the Southport Land and Commercial Company Scholarships.  Please see our Scholarships page for more information. 

Pittsburg Historical Society, Pittsburg, California. Southport Land’s ties to Pittsburg go back to 1861.  The waterfront area of what is now the Old Town District was once the town of Black Diamond.  Black Diamond grew up around Southport Land’s coal loading wharf and was essentially our “company town” until 1885.  We are members of the Historical Society and several artifacts from our Company are on display in the museum on Railroad Avenue.  Also visit the Society's facebook page.

Downtown Martinez & Co. (formerly Main Street Martinez) was created for the purpose of fostering an environment for investment while preserving, protecting, and enhancing the historic and unique character of the area.  We joined this organization after our acquisition of two buildings in Downtown Martinez, California.  Please see our Court Street Buildings Home Page for more details about these buildings, including our progress on renovations and leasing. 

The Family Business Association of California is the premier organization representing family businesses in California.  (Southport Land^®   is currently owned by two families: the descendants of Alvinza Hayward and the descendants of Heber Reginald Bishop, both of whom acquired their stock in the 1800’s.)  Southport Land is honored to be a member of the FBA, which promotes policies in various areas, such as education, transportation, water, business regulation, taxation and family business succession

Joltin Joe Restoration Project, Martinez, California. Through monetary donations, Southport Land^®   has supported the efforts to restore this historic piece of national sports memorabilia.  The “Joltin Joe” was once owned by baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and is now owned by the City of Martinez.  For additional information about this project, or to make a donation, please see these links:
• Article in “Union News” (from City of Martinez website);
• City of Martinez webpage describing the project and how to donate.

Safeway Inc. operates a store at Southport Land’s San Rafael property.  Safeway is one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America.  The company operates over 1,300 stores in the United States and Canada. 

Taste of Thai uses only the finest ingredients to serve freshly prepared authentic Thai food.  Take a look at the menu.  You will find Taste of Thai in the front of the historic Alpha Building on West Main Street. 

Sierra Heritage Realty occupies two suites in the Alpha Building on Grass Valley’s West Main Street, including the an anchor location in the front.  Also visit the Sierra Heritage Realty page on the Realtor.Com^®   website.

Located across from the Contra Costa Superior Courts, Same Day Legal provides professional and experienced legal document preparation, notary services, and cost-effective divorce packages for the public, including walk-in clients.  Litigants who are representing themselves can feel confident having Same Day Legal review or prepare their court filings. Click this link for: Same Day Legal's BBB rating.

Apex Building Technology, offers superior building technology for the future of commercial and residential development.  Visit their office in the Alpha Building at 204 West Main Street in Grass Valley, California. 

Damia Houston, Massage Therapist, offers skillful, yet heart centered massage with a wide range of pressure to treat chronic pain, injuries, or facilitate deep relaxation, in her office located in the Historic Alpha Building in Grass Valley, CA.  Also see Damia’s Yelp page.

Dr. Lin Jovanović is a Licensed Psychologist with advanced training in couples therapy.  She has a PhD in Medical Psychology and is a member of CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists), SSTAR (Society of Sex Therapists and Researchers), ASSECT (American Society of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, SSSS (Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality), and IASR (International Academy of Sex Researchers).  Find her in Grass Valley's Alpha Building on West Main Street.

Life is complicated, but it doesn't have to be this way.  As a nurse and therapist, Dr. Ramona Beresford-Howe truly gets what you are going through and understands the waters you navigate every day.  Visit her in Grass Valley's Alpha Building.

Administrative offices of Amethyst Medical Group are located in the historic Alpha Building on Grass Valley’s West Main Street.

A division of the Sonoma County Probation Department has offices at Southport Land’s office building in Santa Rosa, California.

The Barn Church has its administrative office in Grass Valley's historic Alpha Building.

Top Tread Stairways is our source for custom prebuilt stairs and railings. 

Southport Land^®   uses The Window Shop in Concord, California, to manufacture exact replicas of wood windows. 

Trost Jacking and Heavy Moving, Inc. provides a variety of services including: (1) House, building, machinery and plant moves; (2) House and building raising; (3) Shoring; (4) Building leveling; (5) Large vessel moving and launching; and (6) Heavy equipment moving on site. 

Modern Method Roofing is an excellent choice if you need a new roof, your existing roof repaired, to add gutters and downspouts, or to enhance your property with skylights.  Located in Napa, California their crews have experience in installing metal, tile, slate, composite shingle or traditional tar and gravel roofs. 

Sometimes when restoring a historic building, Southport Land^®   will need rough Douglas Fir lumber, which is no longer stocked on a regular basis in most lumberyards.  When that occurs, we turn to the folks at Berry's Sawmill, Inc. in Cazadero, California, who are happy to pull a few boards for us before they are sent through the planer. 

For our concrete pumping needs in the San Francisco Bay Area, we use Peter Concrete Pumping in San Pablo, California.

ASI Alarms in Concord, California, is a full-service provider of custom residential and business security systems, closed circuit television systems (CCTV), distributed audio intercom systems, and structured cabling. 

At their Antioch, California manufacturing facility, Awning Detailers manufactures, repairs and installs high quality canvas products. 

Located in Cameron Park, California, near Sacramento, Pac West Elevator, Inc. is a full service independent elevator company serving many locations in Northern California. 

Founded in 1977, Galaxy Press in Concord, California, has evolved into a full service graphic center.  Whether you need design work, scanning, electronic pre-press, quick printing, full color printing, bindery, foil stamping, embossing, variable data, or fulfillment services, they are equipped to handle your printing projects.  Southport Land^®   uses Galaxy Press for all of its printing needs.

Commercial Glass and Aluminum, Inc. in Pittsburg, California, designs and installs commercial entrances such as storefronts. 

Located in Alamo, California, Meter, Valve and Control is our source for water submeters.  They can supply Neptune T10^®   water meters, which are approved for use in both “horizontal” and “vertical” flow positions (vertical installations include both up flow and down flow water direction).  We use the “direct read” model of the T10^®   (that is, without remote reading capabilities). 

Classic Tile and Construction in Benicia, California, (Contractor's License #454992) is our preferred vendor for the installation of tile and granite.

B&L Glass is a premiere glass company in Santa Rosa, California.  B&L Glass offers a full range of glass fabrication, installation and repair services, from simple crack repairs to full design and installation of windows, showers, storefronts and much, more.

MacArthur Company in Oakland, CA, supplies Owens-Corning Fiberglas^®   Type 703 board insulation.  We prefer using that insulation in our restorations when the cavity depth will not accommodate traditional fiberglass products.  Type 703 insulation is not flammable (unlike polystyrene and urethane insulation boards), has an excellent R-value of 4.34 per inch of thickness (compared to 3.14 for normal density fiberglass batt insulation), and can be cut for a tight fit between structural elements (such as wall studs or floor joists). 

Abatron, Inc. manufactures and sells epoxies that are used in the restoration of historic buildings.  Southport Land^®   has had success in using Abatron’s WoodEpox^®   and Aboweld 55‑22™ in its restoration projects. 

Kleinfelder is an employee-owned architecture, engineering, and science consulting firm providing solutions to meet the world’s complex infrastructure and natural resource challenges.   Kleinfelder’s Hayward, California, office provides pre-retrofit design investigations of masonry buildings, including pachometer testing to detect concealed reinforcing and “in-place brick shear testing” to determine the strength of existing brick walls.

SheetMetalCaps.Com is our source for copper “Caps” which prevent sun and water damage to exposed beams and rafter tails.  Most recently we used custom beam end caps to protect the architectural beams at one of our buildings.  SheetMetalCaps.Com also makes custom caps for the top of rafter tails.

As they say, image is everything.  At GLT Sign Solutions they get it.  Located in Martinez, California, they are our choice for vinyl lettering and decals in the East Bay.

Sun Valley Doors, a division of Opening Technologies, Inc., is conveniently located at 5016 Forni Dr., Suite C, in Concord, California.  They can order a variety of interior and exterior doors and hardware for your commercial application.  Contact them at (925) 676-6910.  Southport Land^®   uses Sun Valley Doors to supply commercial doors and hardware for its projects.

From their warehouse Albany Steel Inc. can supply a variety of steel products, including angles, channels, flats, beams, sheets, plates, tubes, squares, rounds, pipes, and expanded metal.  Southport Land^®   uses Albany Steel to supply the steel used in its projects.

Elko Trophy & Engraving is our source for Custom Engraved Phenolic Plastic Identification Plates, which are required by our local utility, PG&E, to mark electrical panels.

At Gonzalez Welding Mobile they pride themselves on their adaptability and versatility.  Every blueprint they receive is treated as an opportunity to showcase their talent and innovation, as well as create lasting relationships with their clients.  Gonzalez Welding Mobile has fabricated custom steel for Southport Land's seismic retrofit projects.

Founded in 1963, Gil's Carpets in Martinez, California is our preferred vendor for commercial carpet tiles, commercial broadloom carpet, entry tiles made of recycled tires, vinyl baseboards and HunterDouglas brand shades.

The East Bay Regional Park District operates the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, a park dedicated to the preservation of natural and historic resources at what was once Southport Land’s “company town” of Nortonville, California.

The book “Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve” has many photographs of Southport Land’s early operations at Nortonville, California.  It is published by Arcadia Publishing and can be purchased by visiting the publisher’s website. 

Some of Southport Land’s early investors are mentioned in the book “San Francisco’s Financial District.”  It is published by Arcadia Publishing and can be purchased through the publisher’s website.  (Look for a passing reference to Southport Land and Commercial Company on page 6.) 

The riverboats that once operated on the Napa River (and which used coal from Southport Land’s mines at Nortonville) are chronicled in the book “The Napa River,” published by Arcadia Publishing.  The book can be purchased by visiting the publisher’s website.  (Look for a reference to this website on page 127.) 

The book “Pittsburg,” published by Arcadia Publishing, contains a chapter devoted to the mining of coal from Southport Land’s mines at Nortonville, and the transportation of that coal to what is now Pittsburg, California.  The book can be purchased by visiting the publisher’s website. 

After Southport Land^®   ceased mining coal at Nortonville in 1885, a large wharf was constructed at Port Costa, California, to accommodate coal from Southport Land’s large mine at Black Diamond, Washington Territory.  A photo of the coal wharf can be seen on page 11 of the book “Port Costa” published by Arcadia Publishing.  The book can be purchased by visiting the publisher’s website. 

Photographs showing the historic Sharkey Building, which was acquired by Southport Land^®   in 2012, can be seen on page 107 of Arcadia Publishing’s book “Martinez.”  It may be purchased through the publisher’s website. 

Authored by the Clayton Historical Society, Arcadia Publishing’s book “Clayton” chronicles the history of that area from 1857 to 1957, and may be purchased through the publisher’s website.  Southport Land^®   owned parcels on both the Nortonville and Clayton sides of the ridge separating the two towns.  (Look for Southport’s name on several parcels at the upper right corner of the 1894 map on page 60 of the book.)

The Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing has a book on Grass Valley, California.  Southport Land’s Alpha Building can be seen in the photograph reproduced on page 105.  The book may be purchased through the publisher’s website.

HistoryLink.org is an evolving online encyclopedia of essays on Washington state and local history.  All essays on the site are vetted by professional staff.  One of those essays is a biography of Morgan Morgans, who was our mine superintendent at Nortonville, California and later at Black Diamond, Washington.  Look for an image from, and a reference to, this website on the Morgan Morgans biography webpage. 

Southport Land’s Alpha Building in Grass Valley is one of the featured points of interest on a historic walking tour created by the Chamber of Commerce.  Download the Walking Tour of Historic Grass Valley and take the tour the next time you are in town.  (The Alpha Building is site number 34 on the tour.)

In the early 1880's the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company financed a 20 mile extension of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad, to the Company's mine at Black Diamond, WA.  The image to the left is from a stock certificate of that railroad in the Southport Land and Commercial Company archives.  The rail line was the subject of a short article by Bill Kombol, published in the Voice of the Valley newspaper, which mentions Southport Land.

Some of Southport Land’s employees and their families are buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery located near Nortonville.  It was named after Emma H. Rose, the daughter of Southport Land’s fourth President, Alvinza Hayward.  The East Bay Regional Park District has published an excellent brochure on the cemetery, which can be viewed by clicking on the following link: Rose Hill Cemetery Brochure.  Also see a link to a more extensive book on the cemetery, below.

The book “Rose Hill, a Comprehensive History of a Pioneer Cemetery in the Mount Diablo Coal Field” contains many interesting facts.  Published by the East Bay Regional Park District, it can be purchased from the website of the Contra Costa County Historical Society.  (Look for a reference to Southport Land on page 5.). 

The Contra Costa County Historical Society has many resources related to Southport Land’s coal mining activities at Nortonville, the railroad that ran from Nortonville to the San Joaquin River, and the Company’s facility at Port Costa, California. 

The book “Amelia’s Nortonville” chronicles the memories of Amelia Ginochio Peel (1892-1989).  Amelia spent part of her childhood in Nortonville, California, which was rapidly declining and becoming a ghost town.  Her many recollections of life in Nortonville make interesting reading.  The book can be purchased from the Contra Costa County Historical Society.  (Among the numerous references to Southport Land^®   is a photo of a receipt for coal on page 12, and an image of leasing notes referring to “SPLC” on page 112.) 

Sharkey Square, in Martinez, California, is one of the historic places described in the Historical Society’s Walking Tour of Martinez.  Southport Land’s building at 630 Court Street, also known as the “Sharkey Building,” is one of the prominent structures on the square.  Both the square and the building were named after William R. Sharkey, a State Senator, newspaper publisher and conservationist.  To print the tour, click this link: Printer Friendly Version of the Walking Tour of Martinez (it is a large file and may take a few minutes to download).

An essay titled "Who Laid Those Rusty Rails? — The Rail Line to Black Diamond" by William Kombol gives the history of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad.  The Black Diamond Coal Mining Company financed a 20-mile extension of the railroad, to the town of Black Diamond, Washington, in the 1880's.  Look for a citation to this website’s History Page in the "Sources" section of the essay.

The Historic Marker Database (“HMbd”) is an illustrated, searchable, online catalog of historical information viewed through the filter of roadside and other permanent outdoor markers, monuments and plaques.  The HMdb website has a page devoted to the historic Alpha Building in Grass Valley, California.  Acquired by Southport Land^®   in 2012, the building is a prominent structure on West Main Street.

In 1881 Pierre B. Cornwall, Southport Land’s fifth President (who served from 1872 to 1904), founded a vineyard and winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  The present-day owner’s website has a brief history of The Heart O’ The Mountain vineyard and winery.  For a more detailed history, see the winery's retired wedpage preserved on archive.org.  

In the fall of 1894 the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company’s ship Ivanhoe sank on a trip from Seattle to San Francisco.   In December the wife of one of the lighthouse keepers at Willapa Bay discovered a wood plank on the beach, bearing the name of the ship.  Read the full story by Feliks Banel, published on MyNorthwest.com, which gives a link to this website’s History Page and mentions Southport Land in the photo credits.

Coos Historical & Maritime Museum in North Bend, Oregon is dedicated to preserving the history of Coos County, Oregon, where our namesake, the Southport Mine, was located. 

Southport Land’s Alpha Building in Grass Valley, California, has been featured as a “Historic Site and Point of Interest in Nevada County” on the NoeHill.Com website.

The Barlow Genealogy website (now defunct, but archived by archive.is) had an excellent page on the life of P. B. Cornwall, Southport Land’s fifth president.  Mr. Cornwall is credited with recognizing the fact that coal mining would not sustain the Company into the Twentieth Century, and in 1902 he began the process of diversifying the Company into other ventures.

The website of the East Bay Regional Park District has a page devoted to the Black Diamond Shaft at Nortonville.

The internet article “An Afternoon at a Coal Miners’ Cemetery,” by Nina Zumel, gives an interesting summary of the Mt. Diablo Coal Field.  Look for a reference and link to this website’s History Page in the last paragraph of the article.

Southport Land^®   has developed a Glossary of Leasing Terms that has been tailored to reflect the common practice in the leasing of smaller-sized commercial properties in Northern California, (however the definitions in the Glossary are not intended to be the legal definitions that would typically be used in a legal proceeding). 

The 65-acre Cornwall Park in Bellingham, Washington, was donated by the heirs of P. B. Cornwall, in his honor.  Mr. Cornwall was a President and Director of Southport Land.  The park contains 1.5 miles of level trails, surfaced with dirt, gravel or pavement, which cross the park interior and weave through the park’s rolling woods.  Bellingham Parks and Recreation has published a brochure on Cornwall Park with additional information, including directions and a park map. 

Southport Land and Commercial Company^®   is the owner of two service marks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  To view the data for these registrations using the Trademarks411™ website, please click on the following links:
      • Southport Land^®
      • Southport Land and Commercial Company^®   
To search service marks using the official Patent and Trademark Office website click on the image to the left.